Nationalism of French Canadians based on long standing belief that French language and culture were threatened Alberta made French illegal in business, education and the court system Conscription crises

 many historians believe the death of Maurice Duplessis (1959) was beginning of the Quiet Revolution  Premier of Quebec and known as “le chef”  Union Nationale controlled the province  support Catholic Church  support the French language  promote rural culture  rejected “progressive” ideas

 social conditions in Quebec had fallen behind the rest of the country  women couldn’t vote  less than a year later Liberal leader Jean Lesage became premier  society became more secular  people openly questioned social standards  education & healthcare transformed  labour groups played a more important role  provincial pension plan introduced  As a result of these changes, Lesage became one of the “fathers of the Quiet Revolution”

 Lesage also encouraged francophones to play a larger role in the economy  created Hydro-Quebec  symbol of new Quebec  source of pride  period of change encouraged Quebecois to question their province’s role in Canada  equal status in Confederation  greater autonomy for Que.

 1962 election slogan = “Maîtres chez nous”  Lesage’s changes were expensive  taxes very high  some felt changes too much, some felt not enough  1966 Union National back in power

 developing sense of French nationalism becoming “separatism”  led PM Pearson to act on the suggestion of Andre Laurendeau (writer for Le Devoir)

 1963 Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (B&B)  examine state of French and English languages in Canada  recommendations to ensure both languages remained vital  found out that:  opportunities for Francophones were limited  federal civil servants knew little/no French  private businesses offered no services in French  recommended that:  Both English and French be declared official languages  Ontario and New Brunswick should becoming officially bilingual  Regions with at least 10% francophone population should be declared bilingual  parents should have the right choose education in either language  Report introduced the idea of Quebec as “a distinct society”

 Many francophones believed focus on language hid bigger issues  Some anglophones felt that bilingualism was being forced on them  some allophones felt that they were pushed to the side  Canadians eventually accepted the concept of language equality How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)? 83% important

How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)? 83% important

Q.7 - If your children / children in your community were to learn to speak another language, which language other than English (French in Quebec) would it be most important for them to learn? Please note: For this question, Quebec numbers are based on Francophone respondents only. Those saying French in:  Atlantic Canada: 90%  ON: 71% (Spanish: 5%, Chinese: 7%)  MB/SK: 64% (Spanish: 6%, Chinese: 5%)  AB: 57% (Spanish: 15%, Chinese: 6%)  BC: 44% (Chinese: 13%, Spanish: 7%)

 The Quiet Revolution inspired some Quebecois to embrace the idea of Quebec becoming an independent state.  Most wanted to do this peacefully but others advocated the use of violence to separate  1963 – the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) launched a campaign of terror in Quebec  Carried out bombings and bank robberies, most in Montreal  Targeted English owned businesses and homes  Bombed Montreal Stock Exchange, McGill U and threatened Queen Elizabeth II before royal visit

 Official Languages Act, 1969  French and English had equal status  Government services must be offered in either language  federal laws provided in both  Parliamentary debates to be translated  Commissioner of official languages appointed  hear complaints  enforce the Act

 Civil servants encouraged to become bilingual  Education was key, but under provincial jurisdiction  New Brunswick was the only officially bilingual province in Canada  Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, 1974  product info. must be in both languages

 Parti Quebec formed in 1968 by Rene Levesque  Gradually gained support in Quebec  Goal was to run Quebec for Quebecois and separate from Canada  Came to power in 1976 after corruption and scandal discredited the ruling Liberals

 1974 French declared only official language in Quebec  After PQ came to power they passed Bill 101 which went further – only French was to be used in workplaces and schools

 Many in Quebec wanted a new relationship with Canada but not outright separation  Levesque proposed sovereignty-association  Quebec keep Canadian currency and trade agreements but have own laws, citizenship and immigration policies  PQ had promised a referendum on sovereignty-association if elected  P.E.Trudeau defeated by Joe Clark in ’79, without P.E.Trudeau to oppose the idea Levesque thinks the time is right for a referendum

 Referendum question carefully crafted - asked voters if they would agree to a give the Quebec government “a mandate to negotiate sovereignty-association with Canada”  Made to convince voters that independent would be slow and cautious

 After 6 months out of office, P.E.Trudeau is voted back in as PM – Levesque very disappointed  P.E.Trudeau launches a massive appeal to Quebec to stay in Canada – promises to bring home constitution from Britain if Quebec rejects separation  May 20,1980 – 85% of eligible voters turn out for vote  Results:  NO: wins just under 60% of vote (almost for Fr. Speakers only)  Avoid separation  Quebec becoming prominent in Canadian affairs  P.E.Trudeau must keep promise to Quebec